A Vision for Sustainable Rural Societies in Harmony with Nature The Satoyama Landscape Our Cultural and Natural Heritage he two kanji characters written on the front jacket In the local Satoyama Landscape many different kinds of this pamphlet are pronounced ‘Satoyama’. of woodland, grassland and wetland environments are TTraditionally, Satoyama refers to secondary woodlands mixed together in a complicated mosaic pattern. This rich such as oak coppices, pinewoods and bamboo groves, mixture creates habitats for numerous species of wildlife, as well as grasslands managed for thatch, fodder many of which are now endangered; and also enhances and compost. These secondary environments were disaster prevention, watershed protection and other vital maintained by long-term sustainable use of the vital ecosystem services. natural resources they provided. The Japanese people feel a deep emotional attachment Japan’s traditional landscape includes various other rural to their Satoyama Landscape, which has always been a environments, such as arable fields and orchards, rice powerful source of inspiration, imagination and creativity. paddies, irrigation ponds and ditches, and the villages and Satoyama motifs feature prominently in haiku poetry, farmsteads themselves. The complex rural ecosystem traditional art and handicrafts, and even music. These formed by the combination of Satoyama and these other motifs are also frequently used as the settings for environments is called the ‘Satoyama Landscape’. traditional folk tales and modern-day anime movies.
The Satoyama Initiative targets complex rural ecosystems, such as the Japanese Satoyama Landscape, formed by long periods of interaction between human lifestyles and the natural world. The Initiative strives to create a vision for resource management and land use that balances the twin needs of biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization.
02 SATOYAMA Nature in the Satoyama Landscape Nature in the Satoyama Landscape is composed of managed environments that have been created and maintained within the lifestyles of local people engaged in farming and forestry.
Secondary Woodlands Secondary woodlands, which consist of coppices and other managed woodlands, contain mostly tree species suitable for producing firewood and charcoal, such as oak (Quercus serrata, Q. acutissima) and pine (Pinus densiflora). By carefully harvesting the trees every 10 to 30 years, the woodlands are maintained open and airy, providing ideal habitats for many species of wildflowers such as violets, lilies, gentians and orchids.
Rice Paddies Rice has been the staple in the Japanese diet for over 2000 years. Seasonal changes in the rice paddy landscapes are highly evocative to the Japanese people. In addition, rice paddies are filled with water from spring through summer. In some areas the paddies are filled again in winter. Paddies thus function as huge wetlands which provide crucial habitats for various wildlife.
Irrigation Ponds and Ditches Water is the necessary component in wet rice farming. Cold spring water is collected and warmed in small ponds before being sent on to the paddies through a complicated network of canals and ditches. These ponds and ditches also serve as habitats for aquatic plants and insects, such as dragonflies and damselflies. Frogs and salamanders, as well as small fish like medaka ricefish, breed in the water.
Pastures and Grasslands Secondary grasslands include pastures for livestock, and fields of silver grass or dwarf bamboo that have been managed for making thatch, fencing and various utensils. Grassland management, which involves annual cutting and burn-off, creates habitats for various species of wildflower, insect, bird and small mammal. Autumn landscapes featuring fields of ripe silver grass shining in the sun form one of the classic motifs of the Satoyama Landscape.
Terraced rice paddies in Aridagawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture
The Satoyama Initiative 03 Utilization and Management of the Satoyama Landscape -A Vital Process for Conservation of Biodiversity-
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1 Pheasant 2 Red Skimmer Dragonfly 3 Rice paddy spirits protect the harvest
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Japanese Fawn Lilies thrive cutting 10-30 years later in coppice habitat
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new shoots appear Shiitake mushrooms grown on Charcoal is an essential element in the tea ceremony oak logs
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Many species of waterbird feed and forage in and around the rice paddies
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The Satoyama Landscape creates habitats that various species of plant and animal have learned to take advantage of, allowing a rich biodiversity to coexist in harmony with agricultural production. Rice paddies play an internationally important role in biodiversity conservation, serving as stopover wetland habitat for migratory shorebirds such as Golden Plover. 1 Swan and ducks 2 Golden Plover and Ruddy Turnstone 3 Black-spotted Pond Frog 4 Oriental Stork and Grey Heron
The Satoyama Initiative 05 The Satoyama Initiative A Vision for Sustainable Rural Societies in Harmony with Nature
% " " # Create a shared database and models for sustainable use "! % ! and management at global level (Propose at CBD/COP10) # STEP1 Collect and analyze cases of sustainable natural resource ! ! % %# management from around the world ! # $ ! STEP2 Analyze the current situation and identify challenges ahead for ! ! the conservation and management of secondary nature %& " # % Eco-agriculture Ecosystem Approach Agro-forestry COLLABORATION Addis Ababa Principles '" Community forestry and Guidelines etc. $ $ # $ $ ! ! STEP3 Creation of principles, guidelines and action plans " 1 Extract principles that are important points in common among these cases "! ! 2 Develop operational guidelines for planning, implementation and ( evaluation of sustainable management strategies 3 Develop a systematic database of good practices ! $ 4 Establish action plans to expand at global level " Development of Land Use Strategies Based on the Framework of Complex Ecosystems 6! / & %" ! % # %" Food Pollination ! ! % %' +! $ % " " % "" % " ! # ! " ! " ' ( #" Food Timber/ Fuel $ % # ! +! ! ! 3! ! ! $ % " " # ! " " % % " " " % ! !( Watershed protection
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Oak coppice in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
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The Satoyama Initiative international workshop
The Satoyama Initiative 07 The Satoyama Landscape Nurturing of Traditional Village Culture
Celebrating the transplanting of the rice seedlings –Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi prefecture
Rain Festival –Tsurugashima City, Saitama Prefecture
Terraced rice paddies in Nagaoka-City, Niigata Prefecture The Satoyama Initiative A Vision for Sustainable Rural Societies in Harmony with Nature Published in March 2009 Produced by Editorial work: Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of Japan Wildlife Research Center the Environment, Government of Japan Eastern Create Inc. 1-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyodaku, Tokyo MacEwen Productions Inc. 100-8975 Japan Design: Tel: 03-3581-3351(main) Nagashima Design Office Inc.
Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan © Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan 2009